


Everything Comes Back To You

by Oldguybones



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood and Injury, F/M, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Prison, Underage Drinking, Vomiting, graphic description of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 01:04:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14801387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oldguybones/pseuds/Oldguybones
Summary: Waking up to the love of his life screaming and the thought of what Patrick did to him was all too much for Richie to ignore. In that moment, he had two choices. He could walk away and spare the man who hurt Eddie. Or he could sleep soundly at night, knowing he could never hurt another person the same way. It was the easiest decision he had ever made. He couldn't let the piece of scum get away with it. He wouldn't.





	Everything Comes Back To You

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS. They are very important. This fic is extremely dark so please beware of that before you read.

**June 2018**

“ _I can't do it, Richie. I just can't!”_

_Trembling fingers fiddled with the white envelope tucked between them. It held that place for the longest time; once freshly plucked from the mail box now covered in fingerprints of a boy too nervous to view the contents. Eddie knew exactly what it held, his future. Whether it foretold a happy ending or not, he was not prepared to discover. For precisely this reason, the thick envelope was also marked by the fingerprints of a boy with every faith the contents would paint a positive picture of their future. As quickly as he received the piece of mail, it was torn from his grip._

“ _You open it. No, I'll do it. I can't handle you pulling one of your bullshit pranks right now!”_

_The chuckle to slip from his lips warranted him an intense glare from his boyfriend. He pressed his lips together tightly, pressing his thumb and index finger against them and turning the imaginary key before playfully tossing it over his shoulder. Every ounce of his being knew Eddie was currently a nervous wreck over the envelope in his hands. Rightfully so, Richie supposed. But he didn't need to read what was written inside because he already knew the truth. Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew what was written inside confirmed the future they had been planning for some time now. Convincing Eddie of such had been a struggle he had yet to overcome._

_Before Eddie could stop him, Richie reached over and snatched the envelope from his grip. He flew off the couch as Eddie lunged over to take it back, holding it over his head. Now Eddie wasn't much shorter than him, but it was enough keep it just out of his reach. Richie reached up with his other hand and began tearing the envelope open._

“ _Give me the envelope, Richie,” Eddie demanded, his voice firm, but wavering at the same time. “I'm not fucking around.”_

_Richie lowered his arms to cup both of Eddie's cheeks between his hands, white envelope now pressed against his face. He crushed his lips to Eddie's, an action that felt awkward until he relaxed enough to let his pout fade away. Richie smiled against his lips at the content hum he heard from his boyfriend. Slowly, and after some time, he pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. Soft brown eyes fluttered open to look up into the bright blue eyes he fell in love with so many years ago._

“ _You coulda fooled me,” Richie whispered, dropping the envelope to hold it against Eddie's chest, the seam holding it together already torn. “Open it, Eds.”_

“ _Okay,” he said softly, his fingers picking noncommittally at the frayed edges of the envelope. It was only when Richie gave him a pressing look did he pull the papers out and scan his eyes over the words. “Dear Mr. Kaspbrak, we are pleased to inform you...” he read aloud, but his words quickly trailed off at the implications of the first few. His eyes went wide as he stared up, meeting Richie's eyes once again. “Richie! They're pleased to inform me!”_

“ _I told you!” Richie exclaimed happily, immediately wrapping his arms around Eddie's waist and lifting him off the ground. Eddie wrapped his arms tightly around Richie's neck as he spun them around ecstatically. “I knew it! I knew you would get in!”_

_Richie's heart fluttered as Eddie smiled up at him and he swore he could see the stars in his eyes. A whole universe even. They lit up with a wonder of potential; Richie knew he could spend the rest of his life getting lost in such a vast universe and still, somehow, he would never explore it all. But oh, did he ever plan on trying. The small velvet box, that had maintained residence in his pocket for the last month, told him so._

 

“I would like to call Edward Kaspbrak to the stand.”

Reality came crashing down around him, much faster than he liked. His whole body flinched at the sound of his name jolting him out of his thoughts. A once happy memory now faded with the stench of fear and guilt as shaky legs moved him towards the stand.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he took a seat and found his eyes scanning out over the room. In no way was it packed; there was a slew of empty seats scattered among the occupied ones. But Eddie still felt like the entire world was in that courtroom, watching him, hanging on his every last word. He hadn't even begun talking yet; he wasn't sure he would even be able to. But unfortunately, he had absolutely no choice in the matter.

“Mr. Kaspbrak, would you start by telling us your whereabouts the night of June 18th?”

Eddie's tongue darted out to wet his lips, his hands sliding back and forth against his khakis, desperate to dry the nervous sweat collecting there. “Ummmm....it all started at our friend, Ben's graduation party...”

 

  
_“You should tell them the good news!”_

_The two of the them walked hand in hand up the driveway leading to Ben's house. His parents had been planning a weekend out of town for the last couple months and thus, they had all been planning a graduation party just as long. Was the timing actually one big coincidence? Perhaps. Or did his parents leave knowingly, basically giving Ben permission to throw a rager? Richie had his theories. But they were about to party the night away so no one really cared to question it._

“ _I will,” Eddie said with a sigh, his thumb brushing mindlessly against the soft skin of Richie's wrist. The action subconsciously soothed him; things were changing and there was no stopping it. While they were amazing changes, a big part of him remained terrified at the mere thought._

_It was the summer after high school. They had a brief moment to breathe and enjoy a carefree summer before heading off in all different directions to chase seven different dreams. When they would see each other again after this summer, none of them knew. Soon Bill would be off at art school; Stan would be working towards becoming a CPA; Bev and Ben planned to backpack around Europe; Mike would be the only one of them to remain in Derry as he was set to take over his grandfather's farm. They were all beginning the rest of their lives and for most of them that meant getting far away from Derry._

_They were finally getting out and, in a few short months, they would be in New York, sharing a studio apartment. Eddie had every last detail meticulously planned out. Ever since he was young, taking piano lessons from the elderly woman next door, his dream was clear. He would be at Julliard, learning from teachers he'd been idolizing for years and years._

_Richie, on the other hand, didn't know much more than Eddie and New York. Everything else, he could figure out when they arrived. But Eddie knew that he would find something great, some passion he could make a living out of. Richie was, and had always been, the life of the party. A boring life was never in the cards for him._

“ _Can we just enjoy the party tonight?” Eddie asked, “I don't wanna ruin everyone's fun by bringing up how it's gonna be years before we see each other again.”_

_Richie let out a chuckle, “Okay, first of all, I doubt it'll be_ _**years.** _ _ And everyone's gonna be so excited for you Eds!” _  
_The two of them paused as they stepped up on the porch, standing right outside the door. A soft rhythmic beat could be heard from the other side, as well as laughter and happy cheers. Richie had a cheesy smile plastered on his face as he looked down at Eddie. He grabbed both of his cheeks and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. “I am so incredibly proud of you.”_

_Eddie threw both of his arms around Richie's neck, pulling him in for a tight hug. He buried his face in boyfriend's neck and inhaled the soft scent that was so distinctly_ _**Richie,** _ _ a mix of smoke and cologne, with the slightest hint of mint. While Eddie didn't much care for the smell of smoke, he could breathe in this scent for hours and still not be satisfied.  _

_ The sound of the door swinging open brought them apart, both turning to find Bev standing in the doorway. She had a red cup in one hand, whatever liquid in there spilling as she threw both of her arms up in the air. _

“ _You guys are finally here!” she exclaimed, “Now stop making out and get in here!”_

_ Richie shook his head fondly as Bev reached down to grab his hand, yanking him inside. He reached out at the last second, grabbing onto Eddie's hand and effectively tugging him right along with them.  _

_ The party was definitely a bit more than either of them expected. But, in a small town like Derry, word of a party tended to spread around pretty quickly. They might not have been that popular, but free alcohol was. _

_ The living room was full of teenagers, most of which held cups and bottles while they danced along to the music. The kitchen was an entirely different scene, filled with those grabbing a drink and using the quiet atmosphere to stand around and chat.  _

“ _I'm gonna grab a beer. You want anything baby?”_

_ Eddie laughed, gesturing to where Bev was taking a huge gulp from her cup. “I'll have whatever Bev's having.” _

 

“So what you're telling me Mr. Kaspbrak is that Mr. Tozier was under the influence when the two of you left the party?”

“No! That's not what I'm saying at all!” Eddie shouted defensively, earning him a stern look from the judge. His tone softened as he continued, “Richie had one beer. By the time we left the party, it'd been plenty of time for it to be out of his system.”

“What about you? How much did you have to drink that night?”

Eddie shifted nervously under the unwavering stare of the prosecutor. In all honesty, he had lost track that night. He took drink after drink from Bev without question and ever since then, he was filled with nothing but regret.

 

“ _You're gonna regret this in the morning Eddie,” Richie said as he watched Bev hand him another shot. He watched his boyfriend toss it back with ease, slamming the glass down on the counter with an excited shout._

“ _Who cares?”_

_ Richie snickered to himself, taking a sip of his beer as his eyes remained fixed on Eddie. He danced around wildly, joined by Bev who seemed to have made it her mission to completely outdo him, both in drinking and wild dance moves. _

“ _Have you figured out what you're doing now that we've graduated?” Ben asked curiously, standing next to him in the kitchen. His gaze was as equally fixed on Bev, as his was on Eddie. When Richie softly shook his head, Ben went on, “You really gotta think about your future Richie.”_

_ A fond sparkle shone in Richie's eyes when Eddie looked over at him with a big smile. “I'm looking at it, Ben.” _

_ The seriousness of the moment crumbled away as laughter broke out between the two of them, watching in adoration while the other pair danced away in the living room filled with so many of their friends and classmates.  _

_ Richie pushed off the counter he was leaning on and moved over to where the two were dancing. With his beer in one hand, he rested the other on Eddie's hip, lightly guiding him back against his body. Eddie peeked his shoulder and flashed Richie a carefree grin, so wide it could only be a result of the multitude of alcohol he consumed in a short amount of time.  _

_ Richie chuckled, pressing a lingering kiss to his temple before Eddie turned back around, suddenly excited as the next song began to play. Bev moved over to dance in front of him, mimicking Richie's actions with a hand on Eddie's opposite hip and effectively sandwiching him between the two of them. The two of them howled with laughter as Richie craned his head back, calling out to Ben, who remained against the counter with a beer in hand.  _

“ _Benny boy! Come join us!”_

_ Ben shook his head, a seemingly fond sparkle in his eyes as Bev shouted in agreement, “Yeah, dance with me hot stuff!” _

_ He downed the rest of his beer and set the bottle down on the counter, moving over to join the other three. Standing behind Bev, he rested both of his hands on her waist, using the grip to keep her as steady as he could while she danced along to the music. For a few songs, they stayed like this, the four of them dancing along to the varying beats of the music.  _

_ Richie leaned in to whisper in Eddie's ear, “I'm gonna go grab a smoke.” _

_ At these words, Eddie spun around, letting out a disgusted groan, “Baby, c'mon, you said you were gonna quit.” _

“ _Yeah, I'm going to. Once we get to New york,” Richie reminded him, playfully sticking his tongue out and grabbing the empty cup from Eddie's hand._

_ Eddie rolled his eyes affectionately, “Fine, just go!”  _

 

_ The music continued to blare loudly over the speakers, the thick bass of the song vibrating the floorboards and spurring on the mass of dancing bodies. Ben returned to the kitchen and was now chatting with Bill while Eddie and Bev kept tearing it up on the dance floor.  _

_ Along with the beat of the music, Bev took Eddie's hand and lifted their arms up, prompting him to twirl underneath them. He did so with a laugh, the circular motion causing him to stumble a few feet and lose the grip on her hand. The two of them continued to laugh even as Eddie bumped into a stationary figure.  _

“ _Oopsie,” Eddie giggled drunkenly, using the hands planted on the stranger's chest to push off and away. But before he fully could, a pair of hands moved down to roughly grab his hips, keeping him in place. The moment sobered him slightly, the fear he felt when his gaze met a familiarly villainous face._

“ _Get away from me Patrick,” he muttered, smacking an uncoordinated hand against his chest as he struggled against the hands holding him in place._

“ _You heard him!” Bev yelled and rushed over to his side, shoving her hand against Patrick's shoulder. She made a move to break the contact between the two of them, but before she could rip his arm away, Richie came barreling over, his face twisted with anger._

_ He didn't stop, or even hesitate for a second, striding right over to him and pushing both of his hands against Patrick's chest. The forced resulted in him nearly falling back, crashing into multiple party-goers in his attempt to catch himself on the couch.  _

“ _Hey look, it's the other cocksucker.”_

“ _You sure you're not looking a mirror Hockstetter?” Richie taunted him, now moving to stand in front of Eddie, effectively blocking him from Patrick._

“ _Richie, stop,” Eddie begged him gently, tugging on the sleeve of his boyfriend's sleeve. “It's fine. I can take care of myself.”_

_ Richie yanked his arm away and broke the grip Eddie had on his shirt. “I know baby but you're really drunk right now,” he told Eddie, turning and urging him to take a couple steps back as Patrick regained his center.  _

“ _Yeah, c'mon Richie,” Patrick said mockingly, taking a step closer to Richie._

_ Before he could take another step, or spew any more venomous words, Richie pulled his fist back and hurtled it forward, the blow connecting with Patrick's jaw. “Don't you  _ _**ever** _ _ touch him again.” _

“ _Richie, please stop!” Eddie insisted, visibly shaken by the whole situation. “It's not worth it.”_

_ Patrick let out a bark of laughter, sounding absolutely maniacal as he gripped his bruising jaw, “Yeah? Or what?” _

_ The thought of Patrick's hands on Eddie had Richie seething, his clenched fists trembling with a blinding rage he had never quite felt before.  _

“ _If you ever lay a hand on him ever again, I. Will. Fucking. Kill. You.”_

 

“Mr. Kaspbrak, would you say that this, in fact, was all Mr. Tozier's fault? That things would not have escalated the way they did if he hadn't provoked Mr. Hockstetter?”

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut, his chest tightening at the nature of the question. Tears were beginning to gather in his eyes and the largest part of him wanted to beg them not to make him answer that question. When his eyes fluttered open, lips parting to stutter out an answer, he found Richie's gaze on him. An enormous amount of guilt washed over him at the words on the tip of his tongue, ready to place blame on Richie for the outcome of their situation. He held no desire to do so, but under oath, he had absolutely no choice.

“Objection, your honor! He's asking Mr. Kaspbrak to form an opinion!”

Before the judge could respond, the prosecutor spoke again, “I'll rephrase. Did Mr. Tozier say the phrase, and I quote, 'If you ever lay a hand on him ever again, I will fucking kill you.'?”

Eddie's lip quivered as he took in a deep breath, tears trickling down his cheeks. His eyes slipped shut once again, a shaky hand reaching up to cover his mouth.

After a tense moment of silence, the prosecutor's voice startled him out of his thoughts, “Mr. Kaspbrak, please answer the question. Did Mr. Tozier tell Mr. Hockstetter that he would kill him if he ever touched you again?”

Never before had Eddie felt such a desperate desire to remain silent. He refused to meet Richie's desperate gaze, ashamed by the guilt that consumed him. Every bone in his body ached. One word. A simple one word answer would suffice. It would also, unfortunately, damn Richie and lead the entire court to believe what happened after the party was, in fact, all his fault. Eddie hated himself, every single second he thought the exact same thing.

“Yes.”

 

_The sky darkened overhead as night crept up on them. Eddie's gaze remained fixed on the way the headlights dragged along the pavement. It only broke away when Richie brought their intertwined hands up, pressing a kiss to each of his knuckles. Eddie rested his head back against the seat, watching Richie intently. The way his lips pursed tightly in concentration, the furrow of his brow as his eyes remained fixed on the road. One hand sat on top of the steering wheel while the other rested with his on Richie's lap. Moments like this made up for all the other shitty ones they endured over the years._

“ _You know, your big mouth is going to get you into a lot of trouble one day,” Eddie informed him, his feet resting up on the dashboard. The windows were rolled down, allowing a soft, summer breeze to waft through._

_The roads were quiet, almost completely void of any other cars. After all, it was a rather secluded road to begin with and, what Richie referred to, as his secret shortcut. Eddie doubted its secrecy. But it was getting late and getting home any amount of time sooner sounded good to him._

“ _Jesus,” Richie swore under his breath as he released Eddie's hand to adjust his rearview mirror. A pair of bright headlights nearly blinded him as they shone through. Eddie frowned, his feet sliding off the dash as he spun around to see a car quickly approaching them. His stomach dropped in disbelief; the glare of the headlights made it hard to confirm but at first glance, Eddie was fairly certain he knew who the car belonged to._

“ _Richie,” he whispered, watching the car speed up until it was mere feet away. “Richie, I think you should pull over.”_

_Richie scoffed, maintaining his current speed, “No way. That's exactly what they want me to do.”_

“ _Yeah, so I think you should do it!” Eddie insisted, his voice wavering slightly._

_Richie seemed to notice this and reached over to squeeze Eddie's thigh reassuringly, “If they want to pass me, they can.”_

“ _Richie, it's--”_

_Eddie's words were caught off by the loud roar of the car's acceleration, as it moved to drive right alongside them. Richie looked over and immediately recognized the scratched red paint, confirming his suspicions when his eyes locked with the driver. Patrick had the sickest smile on his face. Before Richie could even react, he watched Patrick yank the wheel to the side, effectively ramming his car right into the bed of his truck. Richie gripped the wheel tightly with both hands, managing to bring them back to the road after swerving slightly into the grass from the impact._

“ _Richie, pull over!” Eddie begged, his hands beginning to shake once again, fresh tears forming in his eyes._

_Richie nodded quickly, motivated by the fearful tone in Eddie's voice and the way his heart was currently beating out of his chest. “Yeah, okay,” he muttered, taking his foot off the gas and turning the wheel towards the side of the road._

_But Patrick seemed to have other plans as he once again drove his car into theirs. This time the hit was focused on the driver's side which, paired with the way his wheel had already been turning, caused them to spin. Richie did his best to straighten the wheel and take control of his vehicle, but it proved to be impossible as their tail end spun around. In the split second between flying off the road and knowing a crash was imminent, Richie threw his arm to the side out of pure instinct and pressed it firmly to Eddie's chest, in an attempt to brace him back against his seat. Just a moment later, Richie felt his head smack against the steering wheel as the bed of his truck collided with a tree._

_The impact brought them to a complete stop, an eerie silence quickly falling around them. Eddie's head still felt as though it was spinning as he frantically searched their surroundings. Despite the dizziness rattling his brain, from what he could tell, there was no sign of the other car, or it's sadistic driver. His relief left as quickly as it came when he peered over at Richie in the drivers seat. Completely still, his body went limp in his seat and a trickle of blood dripped from beneath his hairline._

“ _Richie,” Eddie cried, his hands simply not moving fast enough as he frantically unbuckled himself, so he could scramble over to Richie. “Richie, please, answer me!”_

_He was answered with a soft groan, but no movement. Trembling hands moved to gently push Richie's hair back, trying to find exactly where the blood came from. He reached into his pocket to grab his phone, but in his heightened state of panic, he only managed to dial 9-1 before it fell from his loose grip and onto the floor of the truck._

“ _Fuck!” he shouted in frustration, reaching down to grab it. His face pressed against the bottom of the steering wheel, his fingers unable to find purchase as the phone remained just inches from his reach. He gasped in surprise when he heard the door behind him swing open. Whipping his head around, he fell back against the seat, paralyzed in fear by the sight of Patrick blocking the opened door. A sinister grin was etched on his face as he leaned forward and grabbed Eddie's ankle with a bruising grip._

“ _Get away from me!” Eddie screamed, his fight response immediately kicking in as he began to do just that. His legs kicked out wildly in front of him, attempting to break the hold Patrick had on him. He did just that when one of his kicks landed against Patrick's chest, which caused him to stumble back._

“ _Looks like this little faggot's got some fight in him,” Patrick chuckled darkly. He reached back into the truck and took a hold on both of his ankles, despite Eddie's desperate attempts to prevent it. Eddie's hands shot out to grab onto anything as Patrick used his grip to pull him from the truck, but his fingers scraped uselessly against the fabric of the seat. He groaned as he fell to the ground, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his already sore body. Despite the lack of air in his lungs, he rose to his feet and forced his to carry him. He had no specific direction to head, just away._

_He heard a maniacal laugh from behind him, followed by words so dark it sent a shiver down his spine._

“ _Go ahead and run! Easy prey's no fun to hunt.”_

_Eddie made the mistake of looking behind him and was met with the terrifying sight of Patrick following after him. He wasn't even running, but rather slowly walking after him. When he spun his head back around, he didn't notice Victor in time before he ran right into him, knocking him back to the ground. His feet kicked into the soil, trying with all his might to scramble away from the man standing over him. His hand reached back to pull himself along, but ended up grasping at Patrick's boot as he now stood right behind Eddie. Before he could move, Patrick crouched down and grabbed a fistful of his hair. He cried out in pain as Patrick used the grip to roughly yank his head back._

“ _Your boyfriend thinks he's real funny,” he growled, his other hand moving down to pop the button on his jeans open. “But now we're going to find out who the real cocksucker is.”_

_A surge of fear rushed through him as he adamantly shook his head. “Do not fucking touch me!” Eddie yelled, reaching up to dig his nails into Patrick's arm. When that did little to deter him, he pressed his nails in even deeper and raked them down the entire length of Patrick's arm. He let out a shout of pain and used his grip on Eddie's hair to throw his head to the ground._

“ _Motherfucker,” he laughed, letting the blood drip freely down his arm. Eddie used the opportunity to run over to the road, praying for a car to pass by, but his prayer went unanswered. Hopelessly, he fell to the ground, trembling legs giving out beneath him._

 

“You claim you felt your life was in danger and yet you just gave up?”

“I didn't 'give up',” Eddie said firmly, fingers curling in a pair of aggressive air quotes. “I fought with everything I had to get away from them. I scratched, I kicked, I screamed. I did everything I could to get away but I just couldn't go on any further. There's only so much torture a person can take before they...before they realize there may be no end in sight. That's how I felt when they pinned me to the ground.”

 

_A broken sob escape his chest as he heard footsteps moving closer to him. A rough hand gripped his shoulder and flipped him onto his back, followed by a boot pressed to his chest, forcing him to the ground._

“ _Hold his hand down,” Patrick ordered to Victor, who immediately knelt down beside Eddie and pinned his hand to the ground. He frantically smacked his other hand against Patrick's leg, with every ounce of strength he could muster._

“ _His other one too,” Patrick demanded angrily, seemingly unfazed by the multiple blows against him. Victor took his other hand and slammed it against the pavement, throwing all his weight into his knee as he pressed it against his hand. The grin Patrick wore made Eddie's stomach churn; this couldn't be happening._

_Patrick straddled his thighs, rendering his legs completely useless. He tried to thrash around but all the weight holding him down prevented it from doing any good. Patrick took hold of his wrist, the hand which still had his blood underneath the fingernails._

_In that moment, Eddie felt hopeless. He physically couldn't fight back and, in the back of his mind, he knew nothing could hurt more than the thought of Richie still laying motionless in the driver's seat of his truck, the one that was supposed to be driving them to their future in a few short months. But it didn't stop the scream from escaping his lips as Patrick took his index finger and forcefully pulled it back, the unnatural sound of it snapping out of place completely drowned out._

“ _Please, please, stop,” Eddie begged, violent sobs racking his chest as hot tears poured down his cheeks._

_His cries were masked by the sound of Patrick laughing, “We're just getting started.”_

“ _I didn't do anything to you!” Eddie pleaded desperately._

“ _Why don't you shut your mouth before I shut it for you?” Patrick snarled, smacking Eddie hard across the face before tugging his zipper down._

_The sight reignited a fire in his as he leaned his head up and spat right in Patrick's face. “Fuck you!”_

_Another blow landed against his cheek as Patrick took a hold of his middle finger. Just like the first, a sickening crack sounded as it was snapped back. Eddie let out another agonized scream, his head beginning to spin from the pain washing over him. He wasn't give any time to recover as Patrick leaned down to grab a large rock from beside them._

“ _No, no, no, no,” Eddie chanted, squeezing his eyes shut as Patrick slammed the rock down against his wrist. His throat felt raw as yet another scream was torn from it. The second time the rock slammed against the back of his hand and, despite the excruciating pain, he made no sound. Every bone in his body felt like it was on fire._

_He didn't know how far Patrick would take this but from the way he seemed to be enjoying it, Eddie could only guess things wouldn't be ending well for him. But if Richie was truly as lifeless as he looked, maybe Eddie didn't want to make it out of whatever this was. He let his head fall back against the pavement, too tired and in too much pain to fight back any longer._

_ He let his body be flipped over, his face pressed into the grass. He could vaguely register the way Patrick's fingers curled in the waistband of his shorts and the rush of warm summer air hitting his skin. His mind screamed at him to fight back, that this couldn't be happening, he couldn't let this happen. But not one bone in his body would move. His eyes remained shut, shallow breaths pulled between parted lips. An odd sensation washed over him; all the pain shooting throughout his body faded in favor of a lightness, which seemed to swirl around in his mind in a way that promised relief.  _

 

“Your honor, I'd like to call Richard Tozier to the stand.”

Richie stood from his chair and silently made his way to the stand. He felt nothing. He didn't regret any of his actions and no matter the outcome, that wouldn't change. At the end of the day, even if he ended up going to jail, for however long, he was at peace with himself. Patrick wouldn't be able to hurt Eddie ever again. That alone made it all worth it.

“Mr. Tozier, can you start by telling us what happened after you woke from the crash?”

Richie's blunt nails dug into his thighs, the question sparking the memory of that night. What he saw. What he felt. It all came rushing back to him. He tried to still the quiver in his voice as he began to speak, “When I woke up, my first thought was--”

 

“ _Eddie?”_

_With a groan, Richie forced his eyes to open. He took in the scene around him, but found it hard to piece everything together with the amount of disorientation gripping him. His first instinct brought his gaze to the empty passenger's seat; immediately following that, his gut told him to get out of the truck. As his fingers gripped the handle, he heard a scream. Eddie. The sound instantly made his heart race and his stomach drop. Somehow he couldn't get out of the truck fast enough; a million thoughts entered his mind and none of them were anything he wanted to entertain, not even for a split second. The only one that mattered was getting to Eddie in time._

_He shoved his door open and stumbled as he slid off the seat. His head throbbed and his body ached over all, but he did not struggle with motivation. Even though his legs were shaky, he moved quickly towards the source of Eddie's cry. As he came upon it, his stomach churned and his hands trembled so violently, he had never felt anything quite like it before._

_Laying in the grass beside the road, Eddie remained still, his bloody hands pinned over his head by Victor while Patrick hovered over him. The red shorts he wore, Richie's favorite, were now bunched up around his thighs. No matter how hard his teeth bit into his lip, he couldn't keep it from quivering. A white hot rage took over him as he pieced together the facts, painting a picture that filled him with a mix of hurt and anger, so strong it even terrified himself._

 

“So what you are telling us, Mr. Tozier, is that you were so angry it even scared yourself?”

“Of course I was angry,” Richie answered, his voice raising to an almost shout, only put in place by the judge's stern gaze. “I thought....it looked like...” he trailed off, finding the words hard to express as the memories swirled around in his mind.

“That sounds like a lot of speculation. You thought you saw this? It looked like? Well, it _sounds_ like you don't actually know what happened! Did you actually see Mr. Hockstetter do anything to Mr. Kaspbrak that you so claimed he did?”

“Objection! He's badgering the witness!”

Richie stood from his seat, teeth clenched tightly together as he huffed his breath angrily through his nose. “I know what I saw! I know what that bastard did to my boyfriend!”

The loud bang of the gavel sounded and the multiple successions brought silence to the courtroom. “Order! Order! Mr. Tozier, sit down right now.”

Meekly, Richie sunk back into his seat, unable to help the way his leg bounced anxiously as the prosecutor continued with his questions.

“So when you approached the scene, you found, not only Mr. Hockstetter, but also Mr. Cross. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And yet, this blinding rage you felt was only directed at Mr. Hockstetter? Why is that? Is it because Mr. Cross ran away when he saw you approach? Or was it simply because Mr. Hockstetter was the closet target to take your rage out on?”

 

“ _You motherfucker,” he growled, hurtling the entirety of his weight at Patrick and bringing them both crashing to the ground. Not even a second passed before he drew back his fist back and drove it down, square against Patrick's jaw. His mind went blank; his body acted on its own as he continued to pummel the man beneath him. Both of his fists were landing blows, leaving no time in between them. And yet hit after hit, as blood was pouring from nose and mouth, Patrick kept laughing._

“ _You think this is funny, you piece of shit?” Richie shouted, his lungs burning both from the exertion and the sheer volume of his voice as it almost drowned out the sound of Patrick's deranged laughter._

_Patrick curled his fingers in Richie's shirt, using the grip to toss him to the ground beside him. He stood on shaky legs and wipe his hand through the excess of blood on his face. “I think it woulda been a lot funnier if you let me finish,” he said with a smirk._

_Words seemed to fail him as he let out nothing but a throaty growl. With all his might, Richie swept his leg into both of Patrick's, effectively knocking him to the ground. The moment he heard Patrick's head hit the ground should've been the end of it. But his mind disconnected from his body. His mind told him to stop, told him if he took it any further, there was no going back. But his body didn't listen._ _ In no time, he was back on top of Patrick, who's head laid limp against the pavement. Richie should've left him there in his groggy state and rushed over to Eddie, because his safety, his well being mattered more to him. And exactly then, he realized just that. If by chance, Eddie was okay and made it out of this, his well-being was the single most important thing to him. Richie would do anything for Eddie and without any further rationalization in mind, his fingers curled in Patrick's short hair and brought his head up, only to slam it down against the concrete. Before Richie could stop himself, he repeated this action again. _

 

“So what you are telling us, Mr. Tozier, is that you were well aware of your actions at the time? That it wasn't a blinding rage that took over you. That it was, in fact, a well calculated decision?”

Richie knew the weight his next answer held. If he told the truth, which he had earlier sworn to do, it could cost him the case. Everything they had endured would all be for nothing. But there wasn't a trace of guilt throughout Richie's whole body. He knew in his heart, mind, and soul he made the right decision. And he was prepared to testify as such.

“Objection! Leading the witness!”

Looking incredibly smug, the prosecutor looked towards the judge, “Withdrawn. No further questions, your honor.”

His defense attorney stood and walked over to the stand, “Mr. Tozier, can you please walk us through your thoughts in the moments leading up to Mr. Hockstetter's death?”

Richie bowed his head, voice wavering slightly as he spoke, “When I found Eddie, he wasn't moving. All I could see was blood and Patrick hovering over him,” He pressed his lips tightly together as he tilted his head back, unable to stop the tears from forming in his eyes. He brought his hand to his mouth to cover the shaky exhale to escape from his lips. “His-his shorts were pulled down and Patrick's zipper was undone. I thought they...I thought they raped him,” Richie's voice barely came out above a whisper as he uttered words that brought up the worst, most foul memories his mind held. “He wasn't moving. There was so much blood...”

 

_ The thought of what Patrick did to Eddie, waking up to the sound of him screaming, it was all too much to ignore. In that moment, he had two choices. He could walk away and spare the man who hurt the love of his life. Or he could sleep soundly at night, knowing he could never hurt another person like he did Eddie. It was the easiest decision he had ever made. He couldn't simply let the piece of scum get away with it. He wouldn't. So he forcefully slammed Patrick's head into the ground, one last time. _

_Richie fell back against the concrete, his chest heaving wildly from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The body in front of him laid motionless while a thick pool of blood painted the ground red. Frantically, he rubbed his hands against his jeans, staining them a similar color._

_In the distance, he could hear sirens. Closer and closer, they grew until the sound drowned out everything around him. The blinding red and blue lights illuminated the scene and his stomach churned at the pair of unblinking eyes staring back at him. Richie stumbled as he rose to his feet, his legs too shaky to support his weight. He only made it a few steps to the side before he fell to his hands and knees, unable to stop the entire contents of his stomach from emptying into the grass._

_A strong grip pulled him to his feet and then roughly tugged both of his arms behind his back. His heart pounded in his chest as he felt a pair of cold, metal handcuffs clamp down on each of his wrists. Any trace of air in his lungs quickly left him as he desperately turned his head around to see Eddie struggling to rise to his feet. The paramedics immediately swarmed around him._

“ _Eddie!” Richie shouted, struggling against the tight grip the officer had on his arm. The fingers only tightened their hold, forcefully guiding him away from the scene. Tears stung the corners of his eyes, for a multitude of reasons. All the thoughts his brain pushed away were now crashing down on him; what was going to happen, who was going to take care of Eddie, would Eddie be okay without him?_

_ But as he was shoved into the backseat of the cop car, he couldn't bring himself to feel an ounce of regret. A part of him knew he should. But he did what he had to do. And he would do anything to keep Eddie safe.  _

 

**May 2019**

To say the air in the courtroom was tense would be a gross understatement. Suffocating. Eddie could barely breathe in his seat next to Bev; he appreciated the way her hand came to rest over his own on his thigh, but the gesture did little to still the tremble running through his whole body. Today was the day. After nearly a year of painful deliberation, they would finally have their answer.

Eddie's chest tightened when the doors opened and Richie walked in, accompanied by a guard on either side of him. His hair hung in his face, a wild mess of curls which hadn't been tamed in a long time. His slender figure, even more so now, drowned in the orange jumpsuit he wore. Somehow, when their eyes met across the courtroom, Richie managed to  _ smile.  _ It made his heart ache to know it might be the last one he saw in person, the last one he saw not behind a thick layer of glass separating them. His lips flickered upwards briefly. Given the circumstances, a full smile seemed impossible. But still, Eddie desperately wanted to convey a message of assurance. Everything would be okay. It had to be.

They were good people, who, after everything they had been through, deserved to be happy. They deserved to move on with their lives and salvage the ruins of their future. Things would never be the same, but as long as they had each other, things would be okay. Eddie kept repeating that in his mind, knowing it was the only thought holding him together as Richie took his spot standing before the judge.

“In the case of Richard Tozier vs Patrick Hockstetter, the jury finds the defendant guilty of voluntary manslaughter.”

The courtroom erupted in soft chatter.

“No,” Eddie whispered defeatedly, tears trickling down his cheeks as his eyes slipped shut, an absolute sense of dread washing over him.

“Mr. Tozier, you are hereby sentenced to five years in prison. Your sentence will begin immediately. Plaintiffs, take him away.”

“No!” Eddie cried out, shooting out of his seat. Bev's hand remained holding his, now with a tight grip preventing any movement.

“Eddie, this is good,” she tried to tell him, “This is the best case scenario.”

“No it's not!” Eddie exclaimed, his cheeks wet with tears as he ripped his hand from Bev's grip. He ran towards the front of the courtroom, ignoring whoever's voice told him to stay back. With a heartbreaking desperation, he flung himself at Richie before anyone could stop him. He tightly locked his arms around Richie's neck, wanting nothing more than to feel his arms wrap around him and knowing nothing could ever hurt him more than Richie's inability to do so.

“I love you, Eddie. So much. Please don't forget that,” Richie pleaded, his voice thick with sadness but lacking any regret.

Even the angry voice of the judge couldn't deter Eddie from holding on even tighter, despite the rough hand of the a guard clamping down on his shoulder. His face remained buried in Richie's neck as he hopelessly sobbed, “I love you. I don't want you to go! Please don't leave me.”

Eddie struggled against the grip the guard had on him, tightly grabbing both of Richie's cheeks to frantically press their lips together in a succession of chaste kisses.

“I'm sorry but it had to be this way Eds,” Richie murmured, his bright eyes darkened by sorrow and shining with tears as the guard pulled Eddie away from him.

“No! Stop! Let me go!” Eddie screamed, violently resisting against the hold the guard had on him. “Richie! No! Please stop!” Tears blurred Eddie's vision as his eyes remained fixed on the sight of Richie being lead out of the room. His chest ached when Richie turned his head and spared one last glance at him, his own eyes wet with tears. He mouthed one last 'I love you' before he was gone.

Eddie fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands as he helplessly sobbed into them. His chest heaved forcefully with the effort to drag air into his lungs, flinching away from the gentle touch placed on his shoulder. It persisted still until Bev was gently pulling Eddie into her embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. She carded her fingers through his hair, softly whispering reassuring words to him.

But no matter what she said, or how long she held him, none of it mattered. Eddie's heart ached in a way he'd never experienced before and he knew it would. Every day. For the next 1825 days.

 

 


End file.
